Lighting design tips for bathrooms

Your bathrooms may not the largest rooms in your home, but they can present a big challenge when it comes to lighting design. As well as helping to ensure that the space looks stylish, the illuminations you choose should provide you with enough brightness to allow you to put on your make up or shave without meaning you end up trying to enjoy a soothing soak in the tub under blazing 100 watt bulbs. To help ensure you achieve the best possible results, check out these handy design tips.

Lighting design tips for bathrooms

Pay attention to the IP rating

Safety comes first when you’re selecting illuminations for your bathroom. When you’re perusing the variety of indoor wall lights and ceiling lights designed for these areas, you’ll notice that they have an IP rating. This stands for ‘ingress protection’ and it refers to how suitable the fittings are for particular parts of your bathroom. For example, fittings that are designed to be installed in baths or showers must be rated at least IP67, while illuminations in the area above your bath to a height of 2.25 metres from the floor must have a minimum rating of IP44. If you’re not sure which products are suitable for specific areas within this room, ask your supplier.

Get maximum flexibility with mood lighting

Mood lighting is a must in your bathroom. So that you’re able to achieve the perfect level of brightness at the press or turn of a button, it’s best to put your illuminations on different switches. For example, you should be able to operate your mirror lights independently of your wall or ceiling lights. It’s also a good idea to fit dimmer switches. This way, when you want to enjoy a relaxing bath, you can simply dim the brightness level to create a luxurious spa feel. It’s worth placing a few candles around your tub too. The soft flicker of these small flames will add to the sense of indulgence.

Use spotlights

Elaborate pendants may have a place in areas like your lounge or dining room, but in your bathroom, where space could be in short supply, spotlights are a much better option. By studding the ceiling with low-voltage spot or downlights, you can create a chic, contemporary look. For the best results, get your builder to fit a false ceiling to hide all the wiring. Meanwhile, for added drama and flare, consider installing uplights around your bath.

Create even lighting around your mirrors

Another top tip for this room is to create even brightness around your mirrors. If the light levels surrounding these reflective surfaces is unbalanced, you might find you have to put up with irritating patches of shade when you’re using them. For an extravagant look, you can encircle your mirrors in rows of lightbulbs. This creates the most even brightness and it has a touch of dressing room glitz about it. Alternatively, you can place bar lights on each side of your mirrors or choose bathroom mirrors with built-in illuminations.

Getting brightness levels right in this part of your property will always be challenge, but as long as you bear tips like these in mind, you should succeed in creating a stylish and practical space.